The invention is generally related to electronic data storage systems which are associated with a network. Enterprise and service provider data storage systems are used to maintain relatively large data sets. A simple data storage subsystem includes a storage array and a host device. Applications Read and Write data by sending IO requests to the host device via the network. The host device translates the IO requests from a format characterized by designators used by applications, e.g., filename, into a format characterized by designators used by the storage array, e.g., LUN, cylinder and track, in order to prompt a Read or Write in accordance with the IO request. Clusters of hosts and storage arrays can be organized into a data center. Groups of data centers can be organized into a single data storage system. A wide variety of technologies are known for preventing interruptions of business operations due to data storage problems. However, the costs associated with these technologies tend to increase in relation to increases in data storage capacity and other factors. Moreover, some of the resources required to implement these technologies are only used in the event of an emergency and associated costs may be difficult for an enterprise or service provider to justify if the probability and cost of a particular type of data storage problem cannot be accurately calculated.